


Can't Help Feline In Love With You

by Samnyeong, Swanny_Writer



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 'no avoiding bitterwoo in any character setup' yes i agree, A ficlet that spun out of control, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack, Fluff, Kitty!WonHui, M/M, Yes. Wonwoo and Jun are cats, and i dragged poor sam into this mess, bc my need for wonhui as cats got the better of me, bitterwoo is bitter even in cat form, jun and hansol are just happily enjoying life, poor soonyoung just wants some love, woozi wishes for peace and quiet and his cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 09:57:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12056565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samnyeong/pseuds/Samnyeong, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swanny_Writer/pseuds/Swanny_Writer
Summary: In which Jihoon is overworked, Jun comforts, Wonwoo attacks, Soonyoung laments, and Hansol plays.(Or the one where WonHui are literal cats, and Wonwoo tries to set up their owners)





	Can't Help Feline In Love With You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> To Tanvi, Elle and Lia, as promised, here's the kitty!WonHui fic. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations
> 
> So as the header suggests, this was a joint effort with the amazing Samnyeong. It started out with [this](https://twitter.com/CaratCorgi/status/902890528169123841) adorable picture, and it kinda spiraled out control lol. 
> 
> Thank you, Sam. You're honestly the best. (I'm sorry it took me ages to actually write it up...)
> 
> (ฅ'ω'ฅ)
> 
> Sam here, I just realized I can edit this :'D This concept was honestly so fun to mess around with, and I feel so honored to have this collab with Swanny u//w//u although this is pretty much all her doing I contributed like 0.000000000001%  
> thank you so much for including me, and I hope you all enjoyed this fic of literal fluff written up beautifully by Swanny! 

 

Warm sunshine streaks into the room through the small gaps in the blinds. The soft air current generated by the AC causes the thin sheets of plastic to swing and flap lightly against each other. The result is a handful of sparkles playing peek-a-boo on the floorboards, changing shapes every time the wind blows. In a room plunged in darkness and shadows, such a phenomenon as patches of sunlight is nothing short of magical for one of the two inhabitants of the current cave.

A ball of fluff lays on the floor, blue eyes intent on the closest streak of light. A wink. It moves. The cat pounces, paws scratching at the wood in hopes of catching the sparkles. Unfortunately, another swing of the blinds, and the shapes disperse once more. Not that he minds. In fact, he rather enjoys the game, hopping from one spot to the next, small paws cupping over the fleeting shimmer.

The fun comes to a stop when he hears a frustrated groan, followed by a sharp sigh. He abandons the sunlight to glance toward the desk, situated in the darkest corner of the room. Sitting up, he cocks his head to the side to observe the boy at the workstation. The latter rubs at his face tiredly, blond hair disheveled from the rough treatment of his fingers. With another irritated shove, the headphones come askew as they sit on his forehead like a strange set of horns. 

Unprompted, the cat hops onto the desk, treading carefully as he approaches his owner. The boy doesn’t look up until he feels a furry head rub at his jaw. Jihoon feels the tug of a reluctant smile starting to stretch his lips as his pet continues to rub and nuzzle against him. A soft purring sound soon follows the affectionate action, all meant to relax him. 

They’ve been together long enough that Jihoon knows the comforting session won’t stop until he shows sign of life. Over the years, the amount of violent fits of temper has greatly decreased thanks to this little guy and his knack for calming and soothing Jihoon whenever the workload became overwhelming. 

With a small laugh, Jihoon lifts his hand to run it through the soft fur. He’s never bothered to look up the breed of his cat. All he cares for is knowing that his companion is healthy and happy. But still, sometimes, he enjoys watching his pale fingers carding though the long strands of white and gray fur, soft and silky as they glide over his skin. 

Realistically, he wouldn’t have chosen a cat for a pet, especially not one with long hair that requires a lot of grooming. Well, actually, he shouldn’t even have adopted a pet of the living kind in the first place—a pet rock would have been perfect for a guy who forsakes food and sleep over work. With his schedule and habits, any living creature would die within the week. However, something about this particular little guy made it impossible to leave.

That day was supposed to be about Soonyoung finding a pet. The two friends had gone to the local shelter, and while the hyperactive dance instructor ran around playing with every animal he could touch, Jihoon had lingered by the side of the shelter that sold pet supplies. They had a few fishtanks with colorful creatures that initially caught his attention. Yet by the time he got there, he discovered two kennels full of kittens of different breeds and ages. It seemed like one cage contained siblings, while the other were individual rescues. Some were asleep, in comparison to others trying to climb the metal bars. Asking around told him that the owner discovered the litter in his backyard, and the mother was nowhere to be found. He took care of them temporarily until they were strong enough to be on their own. 

Jihoon did not plan on taking one home. He didn’t even plan on staying longer after hearing the story. But then this fluffy kitten with white and gray fur ran toward him. The movement caught his eye, and he stopped to stare. The shiny and large blue eyes, the cute little pink nose, the tiny and adorable cry that left his mouth. Jihoon found himself planted to the spot. What really made it impossible to leave with his heart intact is when a minuscule paw struck out from between the bars and swiped the air, as if calling to him. His hand moved on its own, coming to meet the soft paw, stroking the fur and small pads underneath. The kitten meowed happily, and Jihoon didn’t stand a chance. 

“Oh! There you are, Jihoonie!” Soonyoung exclaims from behind him. “What’s—Aw! Kitties! Maybe I should get a cat.”

Still gripping the little paw, he raises a brow. “Really? I figured you’d want something like a hamster.”

“Yeah,” his friend concedes, partly distracted by the excited baby cats. “But the last hamster has already been adopted, so.” He shrugs. “Cats are nice. I could leave it home all day without worrying about taking him out on walks. They'e also less noisy, so the neighbors won’t complain. Oooh! That one!”

Jihoon looks toward the one pointed out to see a black kitten curled up in the corner of the other kennel, napping his young life away. Unlike the one that’s still receiving strokes from Jihoon’s fingertips, this one had short fur, and thus looked significantly less fluffy, both visually and in temperament.

“Are you sure about that? He doesn’t look very friendly.”

His warning goes unheard. “It’s fine. He or she will mellow me out! It’ll be like a perfect balance, you know?”

A bad feeling pricks at Jihoon’s senses, but he knows there’s no talking Soonyoung out of an idea once he makes up his mind, so he keeps his concerns to himself. 

His prediction proves to be true when one of the employees opens the kennel and lets him pick the black cat out. The moment he reaches forward, the cat snaps its eyes open and hisses at him. He jerks his hand back, eyes wide as he stares.

“Cranky,” he comments. “But it’s fine, everyone would be cranky if they’re woken up from naps.”

The girl asks him if he’s sure about his choice, that there’s more friendly ones in the bunch, but Soonyoung is adamant. At least the cat is quiet when she cradles him in her arm. Maybe he really is just cranky, Jihoon thinks. 

“Let’s go to the front so we can get the paperwork sorted out,” she tells Soonyoung, who agrees enthusiastically, grin wide and eyes squinted into slits.

The moment Jihoon attempts to leave and join his friend, a small and timid _meow_ drifts in the air and makes his chest clench. He turns back to the little guy still trying to grip his fingertips with the small paws. The round eyes stare at him, and another cry echoes. 

_Ah. Fuck_.

A quiet questioning sound pulls Jihoon out of his musings now, and he chuckles as he strokes his cat—almost three times as big today as he was on that first day, but still as pretty and adorable. The whiskers tickle when they brush against his face and neck, and he laughs quietly again. 

“Thanks, Jun,” he says sincerely, and he receives a pleased _meow_ , accompanied by a gentle pat to the cheek.

For the remainder of the day, Jun stays curled up in his lap, and he’d draw comfort from the soft purring and warmth, hand occasionally leaving the mouse and keyboard to stroke the soft fur.

Around mid-evening, Jun wakes up from his nap and hops down from Jihoon’s lap. The action draws the boy’s attention, and he glances at the clock. Dinnertime. Which means that at any moment now—

“Meooooow.”

_There it is_.

Shaking his head, Jihoon saves his work, hearing Jun’s whining cries a couple more times before he pushes his chair out and walks out of his room. On his way, he flickers on the lights and finds Jun sitting by the food bowl, waiting expectantly, head tilted to watch him.

“I know, I know,” he replies to another cry, scooping the food pellets from the container into the bowl. 

“Meow.”

“Yes, I’ll eat, too.”

Jun continues to sit there, fluffy tail curled around his feet as he waits for Jihoon to take out the leftovers from the fridge and stick it into the microwave. A couple minutes later, Jihoon settles at the kitchen table with a plate of rice and chicken. Only then does Jun start eating, keeping his eye on his owner to make sure he finishes. Jihoon shoots him a mocking glare, but the smile still stretches the corner of his mouth.

Initially, when it first happened, Jihoon had been completely bewildered, unable to understand why his cat was crying and screaming so much despite having his food refilled and fresh water at his disposition. It’s taken a few trials and errors, but eventually Jihoon came to realize that Jun refused to eat unless Jihoon was eating as well. It’s odd to think of it that manner, but in a way, Jun takes care of Jihoon almost as much as Jihoon looks after him. Because Jun’s care didn’t stop at making sure he’s fed and relaxing him during stressful periods. It went as far as ensuring he sleeps.

“Meow!” 

Jihoon glances down at the rug, seeing Jun there, paws out and ready to knead at his sock-covered feet. 

“I’m almost done,” the musician tells him. 

Taking his word for it, Jun strides over to the other side of the room and jumps on the bed. He circles the spot a few times and settles down. His gaze remains strained on Jihoon, though, and the latter knows he only has a few minutes before his ears are hit with another series of heart-wrenching cries. 

“You’re such a spoiled kitty,” he mutters a while later, but he grins when he feels a paw pat his cheek. Jun curls up next to him, the soft purring lulling him to sleep. 

 

________________________________

 

 

“Babe, I’m home!” Soonyoung exclaims as he closes the door of the apartment and kicks off his shoes. 

His gaze sweeps over the small living room until it locates the black ball of fur curled up around a blanket on the armrest of the couch. The cat merely lifts his head toward the noise, blinking slowly, before burying it under his arm.

“Aw, come on!” the boy exclaims with mock offense, dropping the shopping bags on the table. “The least you could do is respond. I don’t ask for much.”

Of course, he receives no acknowledgement in return. Sometimes he wonders if his cat does it on purpose.

After he finishes putting away all the groceries, he goes to scoop out some cat food and deposit it into the ceramic bowl. At the sound, pointy ears twitch and a black furry head pops up.

“Now you come over,” he mutters, watching the cat approaching on silent feet. “That’s all I’m good for, isn’t it? You wound me, Wonwoo.”

Snorting, the cat starts munching on the dry pellets. 

Soonyoung drops to his haunches and reaches out to stroke the shinny fur. Only to be stopped by a warning hiss. The boy drops his hand and huffs. Wonwoo gives him a glare, bright yellow eyes narrowing, and tail swishing back and forth in irritation. 

“Don’t cats usually like to be petted? Why won’t you ever let me?”

Refusing to answer, Wonwoo returns to munching on his dinner. 

“Fine, two can play at this game!” Standing up abruptly, he causes the cat to pause momentarily to follow his movements. He goes to the cupboard and grabs a bowl, into which he pours cereal and milk. He returns to sit by the wall next to Wonwoo, holding the bowl out along with a spoon. “I bet I can finish this before you can even eat half of your food!” he issues the challenge, full of confidence that he’ll win.

Wonwoo stares at him evenly. He blinks once, then slinks away, the perfect image of disinterest. 

Left hanging—again!—Soonyoung shoves a spoonful into his mouth and chews angrily. 

“Is it so bad to ask for some lovin’ around here?” he laments an hour later, laid sprawled out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “Wonwoo, stop ignoring me!”

A low growl reverberates from the corner, but Soonyoung thinks it sounds sarcastic, and he frowns. 

His hand finds an old receipt on the coffee table, and he squeezes it into a ball, throwing it toward his cranky cat. Wonwoo stares at the offending object landing in front of his nose. A paw unfolds and hits it tentatively a few times as if to test it. Then without warning, he smacks it away. The ball of paper crashes against Soonyoung’s forehead.

“What the—Wonwoo! UGH!” He rubs at the spot, all the while wondering how a cat can look so smug. Then an idea comes to him. He rolls onto his stomach and sets himself right in front of his feline adversary. 

The two stare at each other across the floor. Soonyoung sets the ball down and flicks it with his fingers. It flies through the air in a perfect arc, landing smack on Wonwoo’s butt. The cat jumps from the impact, an indignant growl escaping. Soonyoung’s too busy laughing to see the narrowing of glowing eyes. By the time he notices the attacking stance, it’s already too late. 

Wonwoo lunges for him. 

He shrieks, yanking his cat away.

“Ahhh…” he hisses in pain, turning his arms over to see the red welts. “Well, looks like I’ll be wearing long sleeves for a few days. Again.”

Undisturbed by the fact that he just left his owner looking like a stripped zucchini, Wonwoo saunters back to his blanket and curls up into a ball.

These bouts of fighting and scratching have happened often enough that Soonyoung is unfazed. Unlike Jihoon and Jun, Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s relationship is based more on competitions than TLC. Granted when he initially thought about getting a pet, he imagined it would be one he could shower with affection and receive it back tenfold. At the very least, he expected to be allowed to pet his own cat. 

Unfortunately for him, he ended up adopting the devil’s spawn’s cat. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t somehow bring forth Wonwoo’s wrath upon his poor soul. His hands and arms have yet to be free of band-aids, and he still doesn’t have anyone to play with. Although to be honest and give Wonwoo some credit, Soonyoung sometimes does ask to be scratched. He _knows_ Wonwoo likes his space. But sometimes, he can’t help himself and takes the teasing too far, not minding the warning growls and hisses, like that little game earlier. Which ultimately ends with him sporting nice red stripes. 

As much of a cranky sloth as Wonwoo can be, though, occasionally, he does show to possess a heart and actually maybe cares a tiny little bit for his human. But the occurrence happens so rarely, Soonyoung always gets taken by surprise.  

Soonyoung works as a dance instructor at the art school down the street, which means that on top of teaching at least three classes a day, he also has to come up with choreographies for his students to dance to. It’s on one of those particularly awful days that he’s reminded why he hasn’t given Wonwoo up for adoption. 

He returns home boneless, head pounding, heart heavy. There’s no cheeky greeting. He just toes off his shoes and slams the door. The sound startles Wonwoo from his nap, and he looks out toward the entrance. Soonyoung throws his keys and bag on the table, then dives onto the couch, face buried in the cushions. He stays like that until the need to breathe overwhelms him, and he’s forced to flip over. Vision clouding over, he sees stars swimming in front of him. He hasn’t eaten anything all day, not since breakfast. The meeting with the art director has left him brain-dead, which showed when his own students had to correct his movements. It was humiliating, yes, but most of all, he feels terrible for letting his students see him so despondent. He’s supposed to their strongest ally, not make them worry. 

With a groan, he throws his arms over his face. 

From his favorite corner, Wonwoo observes the sorry state of his owner. It’s not often that the human energy ball deflates. Standing up, Wonwoo arches his back and stretches his limbs. Then he hops over to the couch, jumping onto Soonyoung’s stomach and causing the boy to let out an _“oof!”_ of surprise. 

When he moves his arms away, he sees Wonwoo sitting on his chest, arms and legs folded under him. Sharp eyes stare evenly into his. Soonyoung blinks, wondering if he’s imagining things. But when he rubs his eyes and still sees and feels the weight of his cat on his torso, he determines it’s real. 

“Be honest. Am I a loser?”

Wonwoo snorts. Soonyoung laughs. The sound eventually fades out into a long sigh. 

“Do you think I can really come up with something good in less than three days?” he asks. “Blink once for yes, twice for no.”

When Wonwoo does neither, he groans. “Please?” It’s only at that point that the cat blinks once. Slowly. Soonyoung thinks Wonwoo is still a jerk, but at least a supportive jerk, so he lets it slide. They 'talk’ for a bit, long enough for Soonyoung to boost himself up with a good pep talk. As soon as the energy returns to him, though, Wonwoo hops off onto the coffee table.

“Aw, don’t leave yet!” The boy leans over in an attempt to stroke the little head, but Wonwoo moves faster, dodging the hand and swiping at it with his paw. “Alright alright!” Soonyoung relents. “Bonding time's over.” 

In agreement, Wonwoo jumps down to the floor and returns to his previous spot.

Wonwoo isn’t the most cuddly nor affectionate pet, but he has Soonyoung’s back when the latter really needs him, and that’s all that matters in the end.

 

________________________________

 

 

Carefully cradling Jun in his arm, Jihoon lifts his free hand to knock on the door. It swings open a few seconds later to reveal a grinning Soonyoung.

“Jihoonie! You’re here!”

“Hey.”

As the boys start to talk about one thing or another, Jun lets his eyes roam the interior of this new and foreign place. Jihoon’s never brought him outside except for the routine checkups at the clinic, so the curious kitty is bursting with excitement. He sniffs the air. This is the smell that sometimes clings to Jihoon when he comes home. Other than the familiar scent of Soonyoung, there’s something else, too. Another cat. But where is he? His survey of the surrounding comes to a pause when he hears his name.

“You don’t have to keep holding Junnie in your arms,” Soonyoung says as he hands Jihoon a water bottle. “My apartment isn’t the jungle.”

Jun lifts his head to see his owner smirk. “Right, it’s even more messy.”

“Rude!”

Snickering, Jihoon strokes Jun’s back a few times before Soonyoung asks for a turn.

“Can I pet him?”

Jihoon shrugs. “Go ahead.”

“Sweet!” 

Very gently, and maybe a little warily, Soonyoung starts scratching Jun’s head and behind his ears. The kitty closes his eyes and purrs in contentment. He feels too good to look, but he hears the boy’s laughter.

“Junnie~! You're so cute and nice. Wonwoo never lets me pet him.”

“By the looks of those scratch marks, I don’t doubt it,” Jihoon mutters. 

“He’s not _that_ bad,” Soonyoung defends his cat and straightens up. “Anyway. Where do you want to order from? I think I still have some coupons for free chicken wings.”

As the two discuss dinner options, Jun is carried further into the room, still cradled protectively against Jihoon’s torso. But then something by the couch catches his attention. It’s the other cat, he realizes and watches with rapt attention as the latter jumps down from the armrest to stride a few feet closer. Yellow eyes assess him with interest. Instead of feeling threatened by the apparent menacing aura, Jun lets out an excited cry.

“Meow!” He nudges his head against the warm chest, requesting to be put down. 

His owner looks at him briefly then flickers his gaze across the room to study the second feline. “I know he scratches you a lot, but is he violent toward others?”

“Uh…” Soonyoung runs a hand through the orange strands. “I don’t think so. He usually does pretty well at the vet’s.”

Wonwoo sits as still as a statue as he stares at the newcomers. He’s seen Jihoon before, but the pretty cat in the human’s arm is new. He doesn’t know what to make of its appearance at his home.

Seeing as Jihoon still held on to him, Jun kicks and flails his little arms, wanting to be let go. “Okay! Calm down.” 

The moment Jihoon lets him out of of his grasp, Jun immediately scurries over to rub himself against the black fur. Wonwoo freezes, eyes darting down to the creature covered in fluffy hair nuzzling against him. His tail twitches in slight displeasure from having his personal space invaded. 

The sight is worrisome enough that Jihoon steps forward with the intent to intervene; however, at that precise moment, something in the kitchen clatters, and a string of expletives ring out. The shorter boy is forced to run over to make sure the idiot didn’t kill himself. 

The disturbance allows Wonwoo to snap out of the daze. He takes a step back slowly. Confused, Jun tilts his head, large eyes blinking. When the black cat shows no sign of returning to his side, Jun lets out a whine and sinks to the floor, eyes downcast. He brings his fluffy tail around and rolls it around him like a protective barrier. 

Wonwoo heaves a sigh. He shouldn’t like this stranger. Especially when he’s capable of manipulating his feelings this easily. But the sight of the pretty cat being sad causes something in him to soften. And so while his tail still twitches, and his mood has yet to ameliorate, he settles down close to Jun and nudges him with his head.

Immediately, the pretty cat perks up, eyes round and shiny. Wonwoo can see the joy and thrill reflected in the depth. He squashes the bubbly feelings in his chest, schooling his expression to show nothing as he lays down. However, when Jun scoots closer and rubs hesitantly against him, Wonwoo doesn’t move away.

Not long after, the chime of the doorbell rouses the cats awake. They both snap their heads toward the sudden sound, watching Soonyoung go retrieve the plastic bags from the delivery person. In the meantime, Jihoon digs through the corner of the kitchen where the apartment tenant stores the cat food. The familiar sound of the crunchy pellets prompts four pointy ears to flick. 

“Do you mind if I feed Jun with this?” Jihoon asks as he examines the brand on the bag.

Soonyoung drops the takeout on the dinning table and goes to wash his hands. “Oh, sure. I should feed Wonwoo, too.”

Crouching down, Jihoon holds out his hand toward the floor and calls out to Jun. The pretty cat hurries over on light feet, abandoning Wonwoo’s side much too easily and quickly. He misses the sharpening of the yellow eyes and the increasing pace of the black tail as it slices the air. Wonwoo represses the low growl in the back of his throat as he watches Jun happily munching on the dry food from his owner’s hand. The left side of the black cat feels bereft and cold. Wonwoo’s eyes narrow even more. 

With a small smile, Jihoon scratches the little gray head. Pleased from both the petting and the food, his front paws curl and uncurl, which causes Jihoon to chuckle as he watches on with a fond look. 

“Wow,” Soonyoung lets out an impressed whistle. “Seeing Junnie with you reminds me that most cats are nice.”

Hearing his name, Jun lifts his face from Jihoon’s hand and licks at the corner of his mouth.

“That’s right,” Soonyoung coos, “You’re such a good kitty!” And to prove his point, he rubs at the long hair affectionately. Jun purrs and nudges the hand with his head, then he reclines on his back and exposes his white tummy. 

“I am so touched! He trusts me, Jihoonie!”

Jihoon snorts at the exaggerated theatrics, but he’s smiling.

“Man, do I wish you could be mine, Junnie!”

A clear and loud growl rips through the air, causing the boys and Jun to turn toward Wonwoo. He’s glaring directly at Soonyoung, tail seemingly flicking even more rapidly. While Jun rolls back to his tummy, Jihoon shoots the angry cat a wary glance. But his owner seems completely unfazed. 

Mistaking the irritation for jealousy, he chuckles. “Don’t be like that, Wonwoo! I love you, too! Come here.” He turns to grab the scoop and gather some food.

Wonwoo slowly gets to his feet, stretching his back before sauntering toward his owner. He cuts his eyes at Jun and Jihoon before focusing on Soonyoung’s hand full of colorful pellets. He approaches and sniffs at it.

“Here you go—Ow!” Soonyoung jerks his hand back, sending pellets flying across the floor. “He bit me!” he screams, head whipping from the murderous cat to his friend. “I can’t believe—OW! What the fuck, you ungrateful—HEY!” He jumps to his feet to escape from the sharp teeth and claws. 

Wonwoo stares up at him. _That’s what you get for claiming him as yours._  Snorting, he walks a couple feet away to eat the spilled pellets on the floor. His tail is swinging so fast, it’s almost a blur.

“Are you okay?” Jihoon asks, fetching the first aid kit.

Soonyoung purses his lip, examining the wound. It’s not deep. It didn’t really hurt as much as it surprised him. “Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks.” He takes the disinfecting gauze.

“Why does your cat hate you so much?”

“I don’t know!” Soonyoung exclaims, waving his arm in the air. Somehow, he manages to stick half of the band-aid on his forehead. “I didn’t even do anything to deserve it this time!” 

Jihoon shakes his head as he snatches the bandage away and offers him a new one. “What do you mean ‘this time’? Aren’t you supposed to be his owner? Ugh, give me that! Sit still. I’ll do it.” 

Soonyoung obeys for about three seconds before he’s waving his arms in the air again, indignant. “Excuse you! At least I don’t need my cat to tell me when to eat and go to sleep.”

Narrowing his eyes, Jihoon sets his mouth into a thin line. “Jun, we’re leaving.”

“No, wait!” The ball of energy leaps sideways to grab onto Jihoon’s shirt and keep him in place. “Sorry! Don’t go!” He bats his lashes and grins obnoxiously. “Please?”

Jihoon stares back and lets out a sigh. 

Meanwhile, Jun slowly approaches the spot where Wonwoo the Grump munches on his food. The pretty cat studies the black tail furiously sweeping across the floor in rapid and jerky movements. Instead of fearing the action and what it entails, he lowers his body until his stomach touches the cold floorboards. His eyes follow the quick swinging of the tail. Once he gets a feel of the rhythm, he pounces on it. 

Startled, Wonwoo jumps a whole foot in the air. He whips around, hissing, hair standing on end and ready to attack. 

“Meow.”

The quiet and playful sound makes him pause and refocus. He blinks the rage away to see Jun happily rolling on the floor, tummy exposed. _So damn naive,_ Wonwoo thinks as he shakes out the defensive stance. He comes close to the pretty cat and sniffs at him, only to be surprised when Jun turns over and rubs his head against the black cat’s neck and under his chin. A soft and elated purring sound fills the air around them.

That’s what catches the attention of the boys, pulling them away from setting the table. They watch with bulging eyes as Wonwoo refrains from further shows of hostility. His tail stills, and no hiss nor growl could be heard. Only Jun’s quiet contentment as he continues to nuzzle his face against Wonwoo’s neck. In no time at all, the latter settles down and folds his paws under his body. Jun follows suit and leans into him. With a mere glance at the happy expression on the pretty cat’s face, Wonwoo lowers his head and curls his tail around the both of them.

Soonyoung’s jaw is slack as he blinks. “Whoa! Did you see what happened? He totally calmed the beast down! I’ve never seen Wonwoo stand down from an attack before! And then he just—Wow!” Turning to Jihoon, gaze still full of awe, he exclaims, “Your cat is magic!”

The shorter boy nods, glancing at the sleeping pair. “Yeah. And your cat is an ass.”

 

From then on, Soonyoung considers Jun nothing short of a miracle, and would constantly borrow him over to his place to make Wonwoo more docile. Literally nothing about the plan was unfavorable. Not only did Wonwoo stop biting and scratching him, Soonyoung also got a cat he can pet and cuddle without sacrificing his skin and blood. Although Wonwoo’s been circling his feet like a shark whenever he picks up Jun and plays with him, so he’s had to refrain from doing it. But other than that small sliver fear, everything’s been going swell. Moreover, it didn’t hurt that Jihoon, more often times than not, tagged along to keep a watchful eye on his precious kitty.

One evening after dinner, Soonyoung and Jihoon are sitting on the couch watching some reruns on tv. Well, Soonyoung is at any rate. Jihoon’s been fidgeting with his phone the whole day. During a commercial break, he glances over at the blond sitting at the other end. He tries to inconspicuously crane his neck to see what Jihoon’s doing, but because of the cats curled up in between them, the task proves impossible.

“You know it’s considered ill-mannered to be texting in the company of others,” he says cheekily, getting the other’s attention.

Jihoon rolls his eyes, but doesn’t put the device down. “I’m not texting, dumbass. I’m looking for a place to stay.”

Brows pulling together in confusion, he asks, “Wait, what? What happened to your current apartment?”

The show comes back on screen, the cheers from the audience cutting Jihoon off. Soonyoung moves to grab the remote nestled by Jun’s front paw. The moment his fingertips graze the plastic, the little gray and white head pops up. Sleepy eyes blink at him, and he chuckles, about to stroke the groggy cat. 

A deep growl cuts off his attempt.

Wonwoo glares at him from behind Jun’s head, pointy ears twitching. Gulping, Soonyoung slowly retrieves his hand.

“Sheesh! I wasn't going to do anything to him, you grump,” he mutters, taking the remote with more force than necessary. 

Eyes narrowing, Wonwoo hisses a final time before laying his head over Jun’s neck, tail wrapping around the pretty cat. The latter barely affords Soonyoung a brief glimpse, then yawns as he buries his face against the black fur and falls right back to sleep.

Idly, Soonyoung wonders what it’d feel like to have Wonwoo’s unconditional favor. His face must have shown his interest, because he hears Jihoon chuckling, and the apartment tenant looks over.

“What an ungrateful brat.” He mutes the tv, shooting Wonwoo a dirty look. When one yellow eye snaps open, he actually startles. “Yeah, you heard me.”

The cat squints, tail twitching again. Soonyoung prepares to bounce out of the couch and run; however, it only takes Jun burrowing groggily against Wonwoo’s side to stop the murderous attempt. He does manage to give his owner one last glare, though, and the boy scowls. 

“You sure showed him who’s boss,” Jihoon comments in a mocking tone, attention still on his phone.

Soonyoung ignores the jab. “So anyway. What were you saying about your apartment?”

“My lease is almost up, and they’re raising the rent to a ridiculous amount,” the musician replies, then adds, “It’s surprisingly difficult to find somewhere that allows pets and won’t cost me a kidney,” voice dripping with sarcasm.

Soonyoung takes a moment to ponder the situation. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Repressing the jitters, he pipes up, “You could move in with me!”

The suggestion is outrageous enough to tear Jihoon’s attention away from his search. “Excuse me?”

Not letting the intimating glare affect him, he feigns casualness as he explains, “As of lately, you basically live here already. I have an extra room now that my cousin left for college, you could just split the rent with me, and most importantly, it’s pet friendly!”

Jihoon doesn’t seem convinced as he purses his lips and watches his friend with an air of suspicion. He glances at the two cats entwined together. “You just want to stay in Wonwoo’s good graces by having Jun around.”

“Noooooo! I mean, it’s a plus, obviously. But I mean, I like you— _ahem_ —I like having you around! It’s lonely around here, and you already know he’s not helping in that department,” he says the last part under his breath to avoid further damage to his poor soul as he gestures toward his pet. Fortunately, Wonwoo remains asleep. Soonyoung lets out a breath of relief, both in appreciation of his quick reflex and for the evil cat’s deep slumber. “Besides,” he goes on, “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help out a friend in need?”

“A weirdo and a spazz,” Jihoon answers right away with a smirk, eyes crinkled at the corners.

“Rude!”

The shorter of the two snickers. 

“So what do you say?” Soonyoung holds his breath as he waits for an answer. 

 

 

“I can’t believe I decided to move in with you,” is what Jihoon says a month later, when he returns from work to find Soonyoung twirling and swaying to _“Dancing Queen_ while holding a jar of peanut butter in the middle of the living room.

Sweaty and out of breath, Soonyoung turns off the music and wipes his forehead with the end of his shirt. “I was working!” 

Jihoon closes the door and toes off his shoes. “Is the peanut butter part of the choreography, too?”

“No, but I was hungry,” the dancer replies, setting the half empty jar on the table.

“Then you should have eaten real food.”

“I was waiting for you, duh!”

Instead of feeling flattered, Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Why?” 

Soonyoung doesn’t get to give a retort, because his new flatmate’s attention has been snatched away by the whining kitty at his feet, and truth be told, even he couldn’t resit Jun’s little cries for attention. While Jihoon bends down to scratch behind the pointy ears, Soonyoung crashes unceremoniously onto the floor next to the pretty cat and rubs his belly with glee. A series of happy mews fills the quiet room, and the boys chuckle.

“See?” Soonyoung says, glancing up. “Aren’t you glad you moved here? Jun seems twice as happy!”

Jihoon snorts, standing up. “Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”

“Oh, come on! This worked out for the both of us. Your rent is way cheaper here, and it’s closer to your workplace, too. Besides,” he notes as he notices a ball of black fur making his way toward him, eyes sharp, claws and teeth even sharper. “You don’t realize, Jihoonie, how amazing it feels not to have band-aids covering every inch of my hands.”

Wonwoo arrives on the scene then and narrows his eyes at the dancer, before turning his attention toward Jun and nudging the pretty cat away with his head. Watching him caress and rubbing himself all over Jun, Soonyoung scratches his head. Aren’t most animals, especially males, territorial? Shouldn’t Wonwoo shoo Jun away instead of showering him with affection? Wonwoo’s always been kind of a strange creature, but this is pretty fascinating. Not to mention how quickly Jun had taken a liking to him on the very first day. It’s pretty cute, he has to admit, even if the word ‘cute’ never could be used in the same sentence with ‘Wonwoo.’ 

To prove his point, the black cat lifts his head from Jun’s neck to glare at Soonyoung and hiss at him. 

“What did I do?” the young owner wants to know, indignant.

Wonwoo lets out a growl and actually attempts to take a swing at his knee, but he manages to scramble away at the last second to avoid the claws. 

“Stop that! That would have hurt, you jerk!”

Snorting, Wonwoo doesn’t look the least bit apologetic. However, when Jun meows softly, he does take a second to glance at the light colored cat and murmur something. Jun tilts his head, eyes wide. But his companion doesn’t seem incline to explain. Rather, he nudges Jun again, a clear sign to leave and return to their nest, which was a cardboard box Jun had taken a liking to after Jihoon’s big move. The perplexed dancer watches Wonwoo’s tail twitching as he walks behind Jun, waiting for the latter to get in the box first, before he hops in. As usual, the two curl up against each other, as if trying to take up the least amount of space. With Jun’s head resting under his chin, Wonwoo inches away far enough to see him, then proceeds to lick his companion thoroughly. It’s happened often enough that it doesn’t surprise the boys anymore, but the timing seems a little too coincidental to ignore. 

“Maybe Wonwoo is territorial, after all,” Soonyoung muses out loud. “He’s always cleaning Jun up after I pet him. And he just tried to claw me again!”

“Are you sure he’s not just feral?”

“What!” he whips his head around to see Jihoon making a face. “No! He’s just… special.”

“Is that what you want to call it? Okay, sure, whatever. Make sure to eat something.” Without a second glance, he heads for his room. “I have a lot of work to do, so please don’t try to scream along to the songs you choreograph for.”

Once again, poor Soonyoung finds himself sitting alone on the cold hard ground. Jihoon’s too busy with work, and his cat is a demon. Maybe, if he’s _very_ quiet and sneaky, he could borrow Jun and play with the adorable kitty for a bit without Wonwoo finding out.

So he does just that, getting on all fours to crawl closer to the box. Unfortunately, by the time he gets there, Wonwoo is awake and staring into his soul with bright yellow eyes from behind Jun’s fluffy fur coat. 

Resigned to his sad fate, Soonyoung sighs and falls back to lay on the carpet. When he thinks about it about, though, things aren’t so bad. After all, he’s gotten a new roommate who’s rather cute (when he’s not yelling at Soonyoung), his demon cat hasn’t tried to tear him to shreds lately, and he now co-owns a very adorable kitty who enjoys cuddles. Soonyoung simply needs to find a way to lure Jun away from his captor. Who knew cats could be so possessive?

 

A few days later, Soonyoung returns to the apartment from a trip to the pet store. He takes a cursory look around the living room and spots Jun lounging by the window sill, sunbathing as he watches the cars zooming past below with fascination and awe. A butterfly flutters past, and the white ears immediately flick with interest. The pretty cat sits up and follows the colorful wings, paws reaching out to poke at the glass. It reminds Soonyoung of how Jun likes to play with the splashes of sunlight in the early morning. 

While Soonyoung chuckles quietly at the endearing sight, Jun’s companion isn’t as enthused. He scowls at the bouncing ball of fluff and slides to the other side of the sill, where he leans against the wall and shuts his eyes. Well, now seems like the perfect opportunity for Soonyoung to have some fun with Jun.

“Junnie Jun Jun!” he calls, getting the kitty’s attention immediately. Large blue eyes sparkle when he bounces the toy in his hands.

“Meow!” Excitedly, Jun hops down from his perch and runs over on light paws to reach Soonyoung.

The latter drops to his stomach and hands the ball over to Jun to play and fiddle with. He watches the small paws hitting the ball and chuckles at the obvious fun the kitty is having. Jun runs back and forth after the toy, bursting with energy. After a good minute or two, he cups the toy between his paws and gnaws on it.

Soonyoung props himself up on an elbow and uses his free hand to scratch the soft fur. “You’re so nice, Junnie,” he muses, thumb caressing the patch of soft hair of his forehead. Jun lets out a contented purr, eyes drifting close. “I wish it could rub off on Wonwoo just a little.”

As if summoned, Wonwoo appears next to Jun, eyes narrowed, tail swishing angrily. Soonyoung blinks and shakes his head from the shock of seeing his cat seemingly appearing out of thin air. Still reeling, he doesn’t notice the viciousness reflecting in the glint of yellow eyes. Suddenly, a paw with claws drawn strikes out.

Soonyoung hisses and yanks his hand back, scrambling to a sitting position. “What the fuck is wrong with you! Maybe Jihoon’s right, and you _are_ feral, you brat!” 

A low growl rips out of Wonwoo’s throat.

“You weren’t even playing with him,” his owner protests, glancing at Jun huddled behind Wonwoo, head cocked to the side, eyes blinking.

Wonwoo snorts, tail whipping around to fling the toy away. It smacks against the wall and rolls across the floor to disappear under the couch. Throwing another piercing glare at the boy, Wonwoo gets up and nudges Jun with his head, guiding him toward the other corner.

Soonyoung sits dumbfounded by himself in the family room, wondering if he should brave Jihoon’s potential wrath by inviting him out to dinner.

Little does the dancer know that in the meantime, a similar thought is brewing inside a particular feline’s head. It’s not that Wonwoo hates his human; he just doesn’t think very highly of him. More than that, how dare he try to take Jun away? Just the thought of it is enough to make his tail twitch with more vigor.

A set of paws coming into contact with the limb makes him pause to glance over his shoulder. Jun is laying on his belly, arms out to try and catch the flickering black fur. Wonwoo smiles, dark mood momentarily forgotten. He flicks his tail back and forth and lets the pretty cat continue to play with it. While Jun’s distracted and right where he can see him, Wonwoo resumes plotting for a way to get Soonyoung to stop meddling.

At that moment, the door to the second bedroom creaks open, and Jihoon walks out. It’s been so long since he actually laid eyes on the boy, Wonwoo has momentarily wondered if he were still alive. Jihoon casts a quick glance toward the cats, then heads for the kitchen. Upon seeing the overworked musician and the radiant grin taking over Soonyoung’s expression as the latter sits up, a magnificent idea flashes through Wonwoo's mind. 

He should set their owners up. 

The boys are too busy arguing over Jihoon’s overbooked schedule to notice the sly look Wonwoo casts toward them.

 

For the next couple days, Wonwoo puts his plan into motion. He pointedly leaves his toys in Jihoon’s room during the rare moments the boy steps outside to feed Jun. Although he’s annoyed at the way Jun climbs into Jihoon’s lap and cries until his human eats, Wonwoo pushes it aside for the sake of the plan. He lets Jun become a distraction to both humans as he meticulously grabs his toys one by one and takes them to the musician’s room. Once the task is finished, he strides over to the food bowls like nothing happened. 

Accordingly, later in the day when he gripes at Soonyoung about his missing toys, the boy has no choice but to knock on Jihoon’s door and go retrieve the various items. Just like he imagined, the forced interactions cause the boys to talk a lot more. Sometimes the conversation would result in bouts of laughter, or more often than not, with Jihoon sighing and Soonyoung grinning with a dopey expression. Things look good and promising for a while. The boys spend more time with each other, which consequently correlates to Jun spending more time with Wonwoo. 

Unfortunately for all parties involved, the pleasant atmosphere comes to a screeching halt one day, when Jihoon locks everyone out and refuses to leave his room until the work is done. As Wonwoo and Soonyoung share a look after the announcement is made, they both understood that hell will sooner freeze over than Jihoon’s workload lessening. Still, not all hope is lost. The little human still has to eat, especially since Jun has yet stopped crying for his owner. 

What Soonyoung and Wonwoo imagine would be the magical key to opening Jihoon’s room ends up being the key to their downfall. 

Unused to the prolonged absence of his owner, Jun becomes very depressed. He ceases to chase after the new toys that Soonyoung buys, and hardly even responds to the rubs and pats the dancer showers him. Not even Wonwoo can lift his mood, no matter how hard he tries. The pretty cat refuses to sleep in the box, and would rather curl up right outside of Jihoon’s door all day. From time to time, he would put a hand out and fit it underneath the gap. But his effort proves futile when Jihoon, overworked, doesn’t even lift his head once from the computer. 

It doesn’t take long for desperation to drive his action. On the second week without contact, Jun’s incessant cries pierce through Jihoon’s concentration. The boy hits pause and shoves the headphones off of one ear to listen to the heart-wrenching calls and clawing at his door. A small paw searches for him through the gap, and he feels his heart soften.

“Jun,” he breathes, rubbing his tired eyes. 

As if hearing his name spoken from his owner’s voice revives him, the pretty cat calls louder, tiny paws scratching more restlessly at the wood. 

Jihoon sits there for a few seconds, blinking his dry eyes, before getting up and stretching. His muscles are sore from the constant strain, but he bites down on the discomfort to swing the open door. Jun stares up at him, large eyes wet, head tilted to the side as if to ask why Jihoon has been shutting him out. The sight pulls at his heartstrings, and he bends down to scoop the cat into his arms. Fingers automatically come to scratch gently behind the pointy ears, and Jun leans into the touch, purr softly. 

Despite the exhaustion and stress, he finds himself smiling as he cradles the ball of fluffy hair.

“Jihoon! Are you finally done? Is your strike over? Do you—” 

“No,” is all he says in answer to the flurry of questions thrown at him. Soonyoung’s disappointment does manage to prick his conscience, but not enough to apologize. “Don’t wait up,” he says, turning away to close the door. “And don’t forget to eat properly.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Soonyoung mutters right as the mechanism clicks shut.

Wonwoo scowls as he watches Jun disappear into the room of doom and gloom, probably never to be seen again. This is _not_ how things were supposed to go. He looks over at Soonyoung’s dejected face as the latter petulantly flips on the tv, all the while his eyes never leaving the door to the little human’s room. Wonwoo heaves a sigh. If he wants to get these idiots together and retrieve his kitten, he’ll have to get Soonyoung’s help. _Bleh!_

While Wonwoo plots for revenge against the musician, and Soonyoung laments his lonely fate away, Jun couldn’t be happier to be back with Jihoon. Just like he’s done numerous times throughout the years, he climbs into Jihoon’s lap and rubs his head against the boy’s shirt, purring happily when he feels delicate fingers scratching under his chin.

With Jun around to relax and calm him down, Jihoon finds himself more productive than ever. He gets through the pile of work with a lot more enthusiasm and less irritation. Less, but still plenty. But it’s okay. He has enough snacks and water to keep him alive for at least a couple more weeks, and hopefully by that time, he’ll be done with the current project. 

What the musician fails to notice, however, is the lack of cat food. While a few of Wonwoo’s toys remain hidden around the corners and under the bed, Jun finds himself whimpering from a grumbly stomach. He occupies himself by playing with the sunshine and the toys, but it can only do so much to distract from the hunger. Every time he opens his mouth to call for Jihoon, though, he pauses. His owner’s brows are furrowed, and his hands fly over the keyboard. There’s human food in the corner of the desk, along with a huge bottle of water. Jun doesn’t want to be a bother, so he curls up on the bed and waits.

He must have taken a very long nap, because the next thing he knows, it’s dark outside and something skids across the floorboards. He blinks the sleep away from his eyes and glimpses at Jihoon. The latter doesn’t seem to have moved a muscle during the past few hours. The odd sound pulls his attention toward the door. Curious, he hops down.

_Oh!_

Food pellets. One by one, they come sliding across the floor through the gap under the door. His stomach grumbles, and he hurries over, munching on the closest ones. After a few, he calls hesitantly, questioning the appearance of the food. 

On the other side of the door, Wonwoo’s ears twitch from Jun’s voice. He responds to the soft sound, then looks over at Soonyoung, laying on his stomach a few inches away. The boy has a bowl filled with food pellets in his grasp, taking another one out to flick through the gap. 

“Meow!” _Hurry up! He’s hungry!_

Soonyoung scoffs. “Relax, Romeo. I know what I’m doing, okay?”

Or so he says. When he pellet comes bouncing back from hitting the door, Wonwoo shoots him a judgmental look and snorts.

“Meow.” _Nice job_.

“Oh, like you can do better!” Soonyoung fires back.

Wonwoo narrows his eyes.  _Watch it._

In an act of complete maturity, Soonyoung mocks, “Well, at least I have thumbs! Wait—Hey! Are you rolling your eyes at me? Can cats even rolls their eyes?!”

As if to try to break up the potential fight (and save Soonyoung’s face from Wonwoo’s claws), a small paw appears through the crack, swishing back and forth, seemingly searching for something. Whether it’s for more food or contact with the outside world is debatable.

“Aww!” the dancer coos. “Look how cute and rosy his little paw is!”

The moment Soonyoung reaches out, Wonwoo smacks his hand away.

“Sheesh! Stop that!”

A low growl escapes Wonwoo’s throat, arm yet to be withdrawn back against his body. 

“Do I have to remind you that I’m helping?” he whisper-shouts, shaking the half empty bowl in his hand.

Still displeased, Wonwoo growls some more, eyes narrowing. 

Jun calls out again, voice soft and pleading. _Don’t fight!_

The commotion, along with Jun’s cries, reach Jihoon’s attention. He puts the song on pause and slides his headphones off to look over his shoulder. His cat is on his belly, arm waving through the space under the door. Food pellets are covering the floor of the room. “What the hell is all this?”

Jun jumps at the sound of his voice, whipping around. He runs over to rub himself against Jihoon’s leg. It’s only when he reaches down to pet his cat that he realizes what’s happening. 

The door swings open, startling the two occupants on the other side. He stares down at Soonyoung and Wonwoo on their stomachs, taking in the sight of the bowl and food pellet still in between the dancer’s fingers. “Do I even want to know?” 

Soonyoung scrambles to a sitting position, smile turning shaky. “We, uh…” Silence. “Breakfast?” He drops the pellet and holds out the now half empty bowl of cat food to an exasperated Jihoon. 

“First, it’s eight at night,” the latter points out, gesturing toward the oven clock. “Secondly, cat food—Wait.” His face blanches. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been eating that while I was cooped up in there.”

“Heh…”

“Jesus fuc…” The words morph into a sigh as Jihoon rolls his eyes and pushes a hand through his messy hair. Still, he opens the door wider to make his way to the kitchen counter, flipping through the pile of takeout cards that litter the surface. 

In what seems like an eternity, they were finally going to get to eat some real food. Soonyoung could have cried from happiness and clung to Jihoon’s legs. Fortunately for his dignity, he manages to reign the impulse and simply get to his feet, brushing away the dust and cat hairs, to make his way toward his flatmate. 

Meanwhile, Jun bounces out from the room happily and immediately sticks himself to Wonwoo. It’s only been a couple days, but he’s missed him. He rubs his head against the black fur, purring loudly. A few strokes are returned to him with equal fervor. Then suddenly, a purr also erupts from the black cat. Excitedly, Jun snaps his head up to look at him, blue eyes widened from delight. However, Wonwoo dismisses it with a swish of the tail and proceeds to eat the leftover pellets, pretending the noise was just his stomach grumbling.

Soonyoung hums from the kitchen, an arm around Jihoon’s small shoulder. “Yeah, thought so. Wonwoo doesn’t purr.”

Glancing away from the feline duo and back to the takeout card, Jihoon mutters, “You should really get your cat checked out.”

The food arrives in a timely fashion, and the boys settle down at the table. Even though Jihoon is exhausted and still rather cranky from having to stop working, he finds himself cracking small smiles at Soonyoung’s silly stories. He’ll never admit it out loud, but the break is actually fun and enjoyable. It’s no wonder, then, that neither notices the black cat in the corner concocting his next move. 

Considering how rare it is to have both of their owners present in the same room for more than a few seconds, Wonwoo takes this perfect opportunity to try his matchmaking skills once more. Sitting up, he surveys the table and the items on it. Soonyoung’s carelessness shall become his undoing, Wonwoo muses to himself with a grin as he quietly makes his way to where the duo are seated. A single jump, and he lands on the empty chair next to his owner. Another and he’s on the table. Instantly, his bats the glass of soda, spilling the entire content into Soonyoung’s lap.

“What the—! Wonwoo!” the boy screams, shooting out of his seat. His shirt and shorts are soaked. “I swear, I’m gonna return you to the shelter!”

Jihoon clicks his tongue as he hands his flatmate some napkins and watches the black cat hop down to join Jun on the floor.

The pretty cat has been observing the scene with interest and shock, large eyes scanning the exchange. Sensing how distressed Soonyoung is, he tries to scurry over and offer some help, but Wonwoo headbutts him. Confused, he blinks at Wonwoo, then shakes his head as he starts toward the table. Before he makes it a single step, Wonwoo bites at his neck to keep him still. He goes limp with a single whimper.

Meanwhile, the boys have gone through the whole stack of complementary napkins, cleaning up the spill. Soonyoung grimaces at the sugary stickiness coating his skin. And it’s cold, too, making him shiver lightly with every move he makes. 

“You should just go change,” Jihoon suggests, balling up the dirty napkins to chuck into the trash.

“Er…” The dancer hesitates, eyes darting around as he chuckles nervously. “I don’t have any clean clothes.”

“What?”

“I haven’t had time to do the laundry!” he exclaims.

“ _How_ is that even possible?” Jihoon shoots back, somewhat exasperated, but a lot more incredulous. “You have nothing but time on your hands!”

“Not true!” the other counters. “I work very hard. You just don’t see it because you’re always locked in your room.”

Jihoon sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Whatever. I guess you can borrow my clothes.”

“ _Really?!”_

Flinching at the volume, he orders, “Please don’t ever make that sound again. My ears are my best attributes.”

A sly smirk stretches the corner of Soonyoung’s mouth. “I think you have a lot of good attributes, Jihoonie.”

The receiver of the compliment flushes and turns swiftly around. “I expect my clothes to be washed and folded before they are returned!” he says, as he goes into his room to fetch his largest set of clothes.

Soonyoung laughs and follows after him. “Anything you want, Jihoonie!”

Once they disappear through the doorway, Wonwoo smiles to himself. _Finally!_

His attention returns to the kitty still laying prone next to him. Gently, he nudges him with his head, licking him a few times. When Jun opens his eyes, he lets out a low and calming sound, nuzzling into the light fur. 

_I’m sorry, Junnie._

The pretty cat smiles. _It’s okay_. 

Light returns to his eyes as he scoots closer and licks the patch of black fur between the bright yellow eyes, which drift close in contentment at the ministration. 

Reassured that Jun isn’t angry with him, Wonwoo offers a fond look.

The two curl up next to each other, with Jun burrowing his face against Wonwoo’s side, purring happily.

 

________________________________

 

Time passes. Very soon, the streets are covered in yellow and brown leaves, and pumpkins begin to dominate the entire neighborhood. Once Halloween rolls around, the rest of the year seems to pass in the blink of an eye. Before anyone’s conscious, the frost has melted, and tiny little buds start to sprout. The two cats remain the same, constantly cuddling in the corner or in their box, while their owners bicker over the breakfast table. As per the norm, the bickering would abruptly stop, and Wonwoo could see a blushing Jihoon covering his mouth. Across from him, Soonyoung would wear a goofy grin, seemingly very satisfied.

These bouts have happened a lot more frequently lately, and every time, Wonwoo would huff and flick his ears. His owner better not have forgotten that it was all thanks to _him_ that they were able to get together in the first place. He supposes he could let it pass, though, he muses, when he feels a small paw resting on his. Jun’s quiet purr makes him smile, and he lays down across the pretty cat. Wonwoo will forgive Soonyoung’s forgetfulness, since for once, he’s managed to not mess something up and got Jihoon and Jun to move in with them. 

Unfortunately for Wonwoo, his peaceful routinely days are interrupted one spring afternoon with the arrival of a small box. The cats sit in the middle of the living room, staring up at their owners’ smiling faces. Soonyoung kneels and carefully sets the box down in front of the pair. 

“Meow?” Jun tilts his head, round eyes wandering from the mysterious box to Soonyoung, then at Jihoon standing in the back.

The curiosity prompts the dancer to smile even wider, eyes turning into slits. He reaches to stroke Jun’s head, and thanks to Wonwoo’s distraction toward the content of the box, he gets away with it.

“Meet Hansol!” he announces, opening the flaps.

Two furry heads lean over the opening to see a tiny husky pup curled up inside with nothing but a towel for warmth.

Soonyoung goes on as the cats continue to stare with shock, “Jihoon and I found him abandoned on the side of the road. Isn’t he cute?”

The commotion and noises disturb the puppy’s nap, and he opens his eyes. After blinking a few times, he rolls onto his back legs and sits there, staring up at the new faces. A soft bark echoes in the silent room.

Immediately, as if responding to the confused and scared sound, Jun meows and dives into the cardboard box. Wonwoo watches in shock as Jun starts licking and cuddling the small pup, tail curling around the small body protectively, head nudging and rubbing against his neck. And then Jun starts purring. 

_No_.

“Aww!” Soonyoung exclaims, glimpsing behind him at Jihoon. “Look how sweet Junnie is—Holy shit! Wonwoo! What did you do to your blanket?”

Wonwoo releases what’s left of the fabric from his teeth, glaring mercilessly at his owner. His lips curled, he snarls and storms away.

“I had no idea his claws and teeth were that sharp,” Jihoon comments, examining the tattered fabric, barely holding up by frayed and shredded threads. 

“No kidding.” Shooting a look at the blanket, Soonyoung feels very grateful that he’s never brought upon that much rage from his cat. “Guess he’s in a bad mood because of the rain.”

For the next couple of days, however, the dancer proceeds to find new rat corpses at his doorsteps.

“Amazing! That lazy cat is actually doing his job!”

From the side, Jihoon makes a face. “Seems like a bad omen to me.”

 

Heedless of the brewing storm, Jun continues to pamper Hansol and welcome him to the family. Aside from eating and sleeping together, the two would often spend their time rolling around, with either one grabbing onto the other. Soft barks and happy meows mingle with the sound of paws on the floorboards. It would only be interrupted by ‘bath time’, when Jun keeps Hansol still by pressing a paw over his tail and proceeds lick him all over. Quiet whimpers of protest drift through the quiet room, accompanied by Hansol’s jerky movements. But for the most part, he remains in place until Jun deems him clean enough. 

A few feet away, Wonwoo broods silently, tail wound around his body, beating and twitching as he watches the pair play-wrestle. It’s a loathsome sight, but he can’t bring himself to look away. What if something happens while he does? No, he needs to monitor his kitten and the little pest. Necessity doesn’t diminish the annoyance and irritation, though. A low growl reverberates deep in his throat, and he sinks lower into his own fur, leaving only the bright yellow eyes above the surface. He snorts when Hansol jumps and tackles Jun, resulting in the latter laughing, eyes squinted and teeth showing. What’s so great about that pest anyway?

Honestly, his human really couldn’t get anything right, he thinks darkly. And the dancer isn’t even home today to receive his just punishment.

Not to leave him alone in his uneasy mood, Jihoon leaves his room and comes to sit on the couch. The little human spreads his limbs wide like a starfish and lifts his head to stare at the ceiling. He closes his eyes, breathing deeply. Even from this distance, Wonwoo can sense the stress and anxiety radiating out of his frame. So it’s really no wonder that Jun, so attuned to Jihoon’s mood, would pick up on it. 

He raises his head from where it’s resting against Hansol’s belly to look toward his owner. He sits up and pats Hansol a couple times, licking him for good measure. Wonwoo scowls. Jun lets Hansol play with one of the chew toys as the pretty cat scurries toward the couch. Easily, he hops onto the armrest and scrambles into the musician’s lap to rub against his stomach affectionately.

The weight, as well as the gentle caresses and meows pull Jihoon out of his reflection. Idly, he runs his fingers through the fur, tiny smile tugging the corner of his mouth as he gazes at his cat. 

“It’s just dinner and movie. Why am I nervous?” he asks his feline companion. “And with Soonyoung of all people.”

Jun looks up. “Meow?”

Jihoon sighs and shakes his head. “Never mind, Junnie. I think Soonyoung’s idiocy is rubbing off on me.”

As if to offer more consoling, Jun inches up and sets his paws on his owner’s chest, nuzzling against his neck. It manages to draw soft chuckles from the boy, and results in Jun getting more scratches and a hug.

The show of affection is nothing new between the two, but Wonwoo still glowers, narrowing his eyes into slits. As aggravating as it is, he’ll deal with that later. Now, he needs to get a few things straightened out concerning the pest. 

Wonwoo gets to his feet and stretches, making sure to extend his claws and dig a few marks into the wood of the window sill. Satisfied, he jumps down and pads over to the puppy with purpose. 

Unaware of the deadly glare from the approaching cat, Hansol continues to roll onto the rug, paws gripping onto the toy, chewing to his heart’s content. Wonwoo doesn’t want to call attention to this little chat, afraid Jun might try to intervene, so he refrains from calling out to the pup. Instead, he hacks up a hairball. Let’s see how Soonyoung likes cleaning these up. The hairball manages to capture the puppy’s attention, too. 

Blinking his wide eyes innocently, Hansol looks up at Wonwoo, short stubby legs ceasing their excitement. “Arf?”

Wonwoo sits up straighter to show his authority in the house, twitching his ears in the direction of Jun, then swishes his tail toward himself. A clear indication of ownership.

However, the insolent puppy tilts his head to the side then barks softly at Jihoon as though to say, _No, THAT is Jun’s owner._

Black ears flatten irritably, and he lets out a low growl. Smartass. Maybe after a short lesson, the nuissance will learn to hold his tongue. Without notice, he lunges forward. But before he can hiss and scratch some sense into the pup’s brain, though, he finds himself lifted off of the ground by the nape.

“Bad Wonwoo!” Soonyoung scolds. “Don’t bully Hansol!”

So consumed by rage, he didn’t even realize that his owner has come home. Even more annoyed at his own shortcoming, the black cat slaps his tail across Soonyoung’s face. _Eat fur, lowly human!_

“Hey! Bleh—” Shuddering (and fearing for his life), the boy carefully drops his cat back to the ground, not so subtly inching away from the sharp claws.

The commotion successfully catches Jihoon’s and his pet's attention, and the musician walks over with his ball of fluff cradled comfortably in his arms.

“Hey, you ready?” Fear forgotten, Soonyoung beams upon seeing the shorter boy, taking the delicate hand into his.

The latter nods, then shakes his head. The crease between his brows deepens as he asks, “Um, we’re not going anywhere too fancy, right?”

“Of course not! You know me, perpetually broke!”

“I don’t think you should sound so proud of that…” Jihoon responds, although a ghost of a smile crawls up the corner of his lips. He closes his eyes when Soonyoung leans forward and pecks his hair.

So blinded by the excitement of their upcoming date, the young couple fail to realize the consequences of leaving their three pets alone at home for the entire evening.

As Jihoon and Soonyoung put on their jackets and shoes, Jun and Hansol wait at their feet for their goodbye pats and scratches. While Hansol runs around the couple merrily, Jun alternates between the two boys, rubbing his sides against their denim encased legs. With fond smiles and soft chuckles, the owners take a couple minutes to oblige, resulting in a wagging tail and happy purring. 

Wonwoo remains stoic as he sits on the other side of the room, eyes narrowed, expression betraying nothing. 

After Hansol and Jun get their fill of scratches, Soonyoung throws a glance over his shoulder to find his cat and points at him, eyes severe. “You be good, Wonwoo, bleh!” Scowling, he removes more black fur stuck to his mouth. Wonwoo snorts in delight.

The moment the door closes, and the lock clicks into place, the black cat stalks toward the pair playing by the coat rack. With determination, he swipes his paw against Jun’s favorite toy, sending it across the room. Immediately, the pretty cat’s head snaps up, gaze following the trajectory; he runs after it. It doesn’t take long for the tell-tale noises of a happy cat to reach the schemer’s ears. Perfect distraction.

When Hansol attempts to follow after Jun, though, Wonwoo steps in his way. A low growl comes from the back of his throat, tail hitting the floor aggressively. He tries to convey his earlier message again, eyes sharp and unrelenting, that Jun is his, and that the nuisance has no business getting close to him.

Hansol stares in confusion, gaze flickering to the other cat.

Annoyance mounting, Wonwoo stalks toward him until the puppy is forced to take a few steps back. Then with a flick of the tail, he sends the nearest toy toward Hansol as if to say,  _Go play over there!_  

Understanding, Hansol lets out a sad whine, eyes downturned as he looks from the lonely ball to Jun. The latter is still too engrossed battling with the toy to notice the altercation. 

For good measure, the black cat hisses in warning in the direction of the unwanted addition, making Hansol startle. Wonwoo snorts and cuts his eyes at the pup, turning around to join his kitten on the other side of the room.

The intimidation and threats work for a while. Wonwoo gets what he wants. Once Jun tires himself out with the toy and dozes off, he curls up around the napping kitty and purrs softly in contentment against the light fur.

Which is why he doesn’t see the mischievous puppy silently making his way over, a plan of attack already forming in his brain. Being a puppy, Hansol is a master of what puppies are known to do best: sad, absolutely miserable—albeit adorable—puppy eyes. He knows the trick works. At this point, it’s impossible for him to recount how many times he’s gotten Soonyoung to feed him a second portion behind Jihoon’s back. If it works with his co-owner, there’s no reason it wouldn’t work now. 

Stealthily, he crawls until he reaches the perfect spot to be seen, then he puts his attack into motion. The soft and pitiful whine successfully catches Jun’s attention. Pointy ears flicker, then soon enough, a fuzzy white head pops out from the protective black wall surrounding it. 

Jun searches around a bit. When he finally finds the source of the cry, large blue eyes grow twice their size, snatching up Hansol’s sorry state. To Wonwoo’s dismay, Jun struggles out of their little nest to hop over to the poor puppy, wrapping him up in the fluffy white tail.

A sympathetic meow floats out as Jun strokes his belly with a rosy paw. _Poor thing. He must be missing his family._

Hansol sniffs, burying his face into Jun’s soft white fur, but Wonwoo doesn’t miss the smug look he sends in the cat’s direction. 

The black cat flicks his tail, now utterly annoyed. A sharp hiss, _If he misses his family so much, let’s just put him back where they found him._

No sooner has the idea left his thoughts that he realizes what a terrible mistake he’s made. Jun startles as though shocked, eyes bulging as he stares at Wonwoo. Immediately, he positions himself in front of Hansol, bristling. It’s the first time Wonwoo’s seen Jun getting irate at anything, much less at  _him_. 

A white paw strikes the floor. _How could you even say that? THIS is his home now!_ Wonwoo’s usual pretty kitten has fluffed out his fur, making him seem twice his size. 

A pause. A charged silence.

Looking from Jun’s protective stance to Hansol whimpering behind the light fur, Wonwoo lets out a scoff,  _I see how it is._ With that, the black cat jumps onto the sofa arm and disappears from view.

Jun relaxes his frown as he turns to face Hansol, licking him a few time. _Are you okay?_

The puppy hasn’t expected his plan to work so well, but at the same time, he didn’t mean for the two cats to stop interacting altogether. He glimpses at the sofa, but Wonwoo remains invisible. Eyes dropping, he feels the pricks of guilt, but decides to ignore them as he burrows against Jun’s side, _I’m fine_. 

A few hours later, when Soonyoung and Jihoon come back with full bellies and laughter aplenty, they are surprised to see Wonwoo sitting alone on the very opposite side of the apartment, with his back to Jun and Hansol. The mismatched pair are curled up together on Hansol’s doggy bed, sleeping away.

…The next day, Soonyoung finds another freshly slain rat on his welcome mat. 

 

 ________________________________

 

“I think Wonwoo’s depressed,” Soonyoung claims, a few days later at the breakfast table.

“What?” Jihoon stops the spoon halfway to his mouth to glance at the black cat on the sofa, huddled up with his head hidden inside his body, apparently napping. With a shrug, the musician assess, “He seems fine,” and returns to his cereal. 

But Soonyoung shakes his head, unconvinced. One by one, he starts naming out the reasons. “He’s hardly eating, and he hasn’t been playing with Jun or Hansol.” With a sharp slap on the table, he adds, “More than that, he even let me pet him earlier!”

At that piece of information, Jihoon does pause, hand dropping to scratch at the white fur in his lap. “That _is_ weird.”

“As his owner and friend, I am duty bound to figure out the reason!” the dancer exclaims, full of passion.

“Uh-huh,” his boyfriend agrees half-heartedly. “As long as he allows you to.” 

After finishing his breakfast, Soonyoung walks over to the sofa and crouches down so he’s at eye level with his cat. He props his chin on the cushion, calling softly, “Wonwoo. Are you depressed?”

He receives a low growl before Wonwoo stubbornly turns around and buries his head under his paw.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

“So what? You’re gonna take him to a therapist?” Jihoon asks as a joke, fingers still scratching under Jun’s chin as he watches the scene from the table.

All too excitedly, Soonyoung gets to his feet, grinning broadly. “Nope. _I’m_  gonna be the therapist! And you’re gonna help!” 

Before Jihoon can even compute what’s happening, he’s dragged into yet another one of his boyfriend’s crazy ideas. The two of them are sitting on the floor, their legs spread out, feet touching to create a sort of confined space. In the middle, the two cats are sitting inside the makeshift ‘fence’. While Jun clings to his owner's side, Wonwoo looks two seconds from jumping away.

As if sensing the potential fugitive’s escape plan, the dancer quickly reacts. “Hold on a second!” Soonyoung grabs him by the front paws and sets him in the middle again. 

Wonwoo debates whether or not to bite his owner's hands as he lets out a low growl, glaring up at his human. 

“Did you guys have a fight?” the latter asks as he glances from one cat to the other, oblivious to the dark mood of his own pet. He cooks his head, removing a hand around Wonwoo’s middle to scratch his hair, perplexed. “Why would you, though?”

As if on cue, Hansol comes running out of one of the bedrooms, dragging along one of the toys. 

Wonwoo hisses and struggles from Soonyoung’s grasp, refusing to even look in the puppy’s direction. His owner readjusts his hold. And then it hits him. “Ohhh…”

In response to the discovery, Jihoon merely raises an incredulous brow.

The boys watch as Hansol ambles over, mouth still gripping the chew toy, and tries to climb over Jihoon’s leg to get to Jun. The white cat stands up and comes to nuzzle him. Wonwoo lets out another irritated growl.

“So,” Jihoon picks up the puppy and sets him next to Jun, much to Wonwoo’s growing irritation. “It’s not depression. It’s jealousy.”

“Awww! That’s adorable!” the other owner coos, rubbing and stroking Wonwoo’s head. The cat swipes at him. “Hey! This is why Jun stopped playing with you, you brat!”

Wonwoo hisses, cutting his eyes away. 

Hansol watches the boys heave a sigh as they try to think of a solution. While Jihoon keeps petting Jun’s side, Soonyoung prods and pokes at Wonwoo’s, trying to get him to cheer up. It only leads to red welts across the back of the poor dancer’s hand. 

That familiar guilty feeling jabs at him again, and Hansol immediately thinks of something. Shocking their humans, the puppy suddenly leaps away, climbing over Jihoon’s leg one more time. Thinking he’s merely bored, the latter helps him over with a small push. However, the husky returns a moment later with his favorite toy. There starts the arduous journey to get over the ‘fence’ once more. With a small laugh, Jihoon picks him up and sets him down in the middle. 

Carefully, Hansol nudges the toy toward the black cat. A peace offering. Wonwoo looks from the toy to the puppy, shock and surprise evident in the widening of the bright yellow eyes. Hansol lets out a soft bark that sounds almost like a little laugh. He offers his best expression of truce, hoping it would be enough to convey his sincerity. It’s not that he dislikes the black cat; he's rather very interested in his mannerism, despite being a grouch and wanting to hog Jun to himself. But still, he’d like to be friends. 

Reluctantly, after some deliberating, Wonwoo lets out a breath and raises his paw. Before the owners could snatch Hansol away from the expected swipe, Wonwoo’s arm descends to pat the puppy’s head awkwardly. It’s a little forceful, but not hurtful.

“I think…” Soonyoung starts commenting with wide eyes. “I think that’s his apology.”

“Looks more like: ‘Fine. I'll accept you’ to me,” Jihoon mutters, unimpressed. However, he pushes the pretty cat from his lap forward. “Your turn, Junnie.” 

The latter looks up at his owner, eyes round with confusion. 

“Give him a chance to say sorry,” Jihoon advises, fingers carding through the long fur. “I was starting to wonder why you haven’t been as hyper lately. You were even whimpering in your sleep last night. It’s okay if you miss him,” he adds in the softest voice, smiling fondly.

“Wow…” Soonyoung lets out. “And you made fun of _me_ for talking to Wonwoo.”

Expression and tone hardening, the blond glares. “Shut up!”

“Eeep! Jihoonie’s scary!” Lamenting once more, he hits his chest with a fist. “Why must I be cursed to love only those who hurt me?”

His boyfriend snorts and rolls his eyes at the theatrics.

Taking advantage of the humans arguing again, Wonwoo advances slowly and hesitantly toward Jun. When the white cat doesn’t pull away at the proximity, he proceeds to rub his head against his kitten's neck. The purring this time, is clearly audible. Soonyoung’s jaw drops, momentarily halting the bickering. He gestures wildly toward the entwined cats, as if Jihoon can’t see the exact same thing from his seat, and is already stunned. After a few seconds, Jun leans down and licks at the top of Wonwoo’s head, nuzzling against him and pressing even closer to the black fur. A softer purring echoes through the room, then. The cats smile into each other's fur coat, heart alight. Hansol barks out happily, wagging his tail.

“Hurray!” Soonyoung cheers loudly, fist pumping the air. “They made up! I am the best pet therapist _EVER_!” Then an epiphany hits him. "I should advertise this skill!"

Watching the ridiculous (and endearing) spectacle, Jihoon muses, “I am dating a complete weirdo…”

“Babe,” the dancer pauses his celebration. “We talk to our cats and depend on them to eat and sleep properly. We’re _both_ weirdos.”

Jihoon throws a rubber ball at his head, laughing along.

 

From that day forward, the boys would see the three pets lounging together, with Jun always sandwiched in the middle. Occasionally, a black paw would rest against the nap of his neck, but since Jun didn’t seem to mind, no one pointed it out. Soonyoung still had to stop Wonwoo from biting and snapping at the puppy a few times, but they seemed to get along well, for the most part. Since Jun tired out faster than Hansol, after a round or two playing together, the white cat would find his way toward Wonwoo and curl up at his side, dozing off peacefully. The black cat would smugly wind his tail around the white fur to bring Jun closer, then rest his head over the other’s neck, ignoring the ruckus that Hansol caused, along with Soonyoung’s screams as the quickly growing puppy pounced on him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> For reference, [here](https://twitter.com/videocats/status/903569809920708609) is Wonwoo abusing poor Soonyoung. Thank you, Tanvi!


End file.
